Science

In Defense of Food: Anthony and Nancy

From the PBS special “In Defense of Food,” based on the best-selling book by Michael Pollan. Outside Boston, 11 year-old Anthony has been gaining weight. He and his mother Nancy decide to do something about it. DVDs and BluRays are available at www.shoppbs.org.

In Defense of Food: Bronx Green Machine

In the South Bronx, teacher Steve Ritz and his students are pushing back against the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in their community by growing their own food.

In Defense of Food: The Low Fat Campaign

From the 1950s through the 1990s, nutrition scientists and the food industry urged us to eat less fat. But as science learned more, it turned out that cutting back on this one nutrient was far from a simple fix for our health. The flood of low-fat products the industry created were often high in sugar, and rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes surged higher. And we learned that some fats are very good for our health. The failure of the low-fat campaign shows us that a single nutrient or a single food is not the magic bullet. It’s the combination of foods we eat that is the most important determinant of our dietary health.

In Defense of Food: Closing sequence

The War Against Microbes

This half-hour documentary, commissioned by Nobel Media in Stockholm, looks at the history of science’s battle against infectious diseases and at some of today’s most promising breakthroughs. This clip spotlights research into a degenerative brain disease called CTE that’s increasingly being found to afflict many athletes and war veterans. You can screen the entire film on line at www.nobelprize.org

The Body’s Secret Army: Jamie’s Story

This half-hour documentary for public television, commissioned by Nobel Media in Stockholm, looks at the human immune system and how scientists are expanding its ability to fight disease. This clip tells the story of a woman who suddenly discovered she had a mysterious immune deficiency––a rare disorder that dramatically illustrates just how essential the immune system is to our survival. You can screen the entire film on line at www.nobelprize.org

The Body’s Secret Army: Sharon’s Story

This clip from The Body’s Secret Army explores the science behind a new cancer treatment that that saved a young woman’s life––one that unleashes the power of the immune system.

The Botany of Desire

This two-hour PBS special, based on the book by Michael Pollan, looks at four common plants––tulips, potatoes, apples and marijuana––and the ways they’ve enticed us to help them thrive. I co-produced the film and directed some of its sequences, including this one about New Hampshire cider maker Stephen Wood. DVDs and Blu-rays are available at www.shoppbs.org

Through Many Lives: Sally’s Story

This sequence, from the PBS series The Secret Life of the Brain, tells the story of a woman living with Parkinson’s Disease, and the research her doctor is doing to try to harness the potential healing power of stem cells. DVDs are available at www.shoppbs.org